Khwaja Asif, defence minister with a foot in mouth disorder: Gems from his loose talk are embarrassing Pakistan amid India-Pak war

Khwaja Asif, Pakistan's loose-tongued defence minister, is a liability: Khwaja Asif, Pakistan's defence minister, is a veteran politician, but these days he is embarrassing his country with his remarks amid the India-Pakistan war. His gems are fodder for internet trolling and memes, particularly since India's Operation Sindoor to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack.

Asif has been waxing and waning about war and peace with India, and made public admissions about Pakistan's support to terrorists over the decades. (He should know, as he's been around for so long). His remarks can be attributed to two things only: either he has gone senile, or he has just become paranoid. Here are some recent gems from his vast repertoire of mis-speak.

Soon after the Pahalgam terror attack killed 26 innocent tourists, Asif went on record to say that the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the parent of The Resistance Front or TRF, which claimed the attack, did not exist in Pakistan. This, even as LeT's chief was living safely in Pakistan.

“Lashkar-e-Taiba doesn’t exist in Pakistan anymore. It is extinct," Asif said at the time. 

"If the parent organisation does not exist, how can the offshoot take birth here?”, he reasoned when the role of TRF was pointed out.

Perhaps the most shocking remark from Asif was during an interview to Sky News, where he openly admitted how Pakistan has been backing terror groups.

Sky’s Yalda Hakim caught him in a bind by asking, “You do admit, sir, that Pakistan has had a long history of backing and supporting and training and funding these terrorist organisations?”

Pat came Asif's shocking reply: “Well, we have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about three decades...and the West, including Britain.”

He quickly added, “That was a mistake, and we suffered from that, and that is why you are saying this to me." 

"If we had not joined the war against the Soviet Union and later on the war after 9/11, Pakistan’s track record… was an unimpeachable track record,” he said, referring to the 2001 terror attack.

“When we were fighting the war on their side way back in the 80s against the Soviet Union, all these terrorists of today, they were wining and dining in Washington. And then came the 9/11 attacks. Again, the same situation was repeated. I think our governments then made a mistake.”

While it is well-known that much of Pakistan's military equipment is made in China, Asif's casual remark was both shocking and amusing because, around the same time, China shrugged off its jets' involvement in the Indo-Pak tensions.

 "If India can buy planes from France and use them, we can also buy planes from China, Russia or the UK and use them," Asif told CNN.

His remarks came around the same time as a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said it was "not familiar with the matter" when asked if Chinese jets were involved in the India-Pakistan conflict.

Asifs' comments came after India hit Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as part of Operation Sindoor to avenge the Pahalgam attack.

In remarks not suiting his stature, Asif casually said that evidence of Pakistani forces shooting down Indian fighter jets during the recent tensions 'is all over social media.'

He was speaking to CNN’s Becky Anderson, who asked: “Pakistan claims it shot down five Indian Air Force jets. India says there is no evidence of that, no proof. Can you provide more details? Let’s start with this very specific claim of five fighter jets shot down. Where’s the evidence for that, sir?”

“It’s all over social media," was Asif's response. 

"On Indian social media, not on our social media," he added for good measure. "The debris of these jets fell...and it’s all over Indian media.”

Anderson then said: “You’re the defence minister, sir. The reason to talk to you today, sir, is not to talk about content all over social media. I’m sorry.”

Asif is probably not aware of how badly equipped his army is. That may be the reason why -  even before India fired a single shot - he talked about Pakistan being ready for an 'all-out war.'

"If there is an all-out attack ...then obviously there will be an all-out war,” he said in a TV interview, ahead of Operation Sindoor.

In an interview to Bloomberg, Asif made a remark that showed either he's scared, or he didn't have a clue what was happening.

“If India is ready to back down, they have taken the initiative; we have just responded. We have been saying all along, for the last fortnight, that we will never initiate anything hostile against India,” he said.

Khwaja Asif is a veteran of Pakistani politics. His current term as defence minister began in April 2022

A leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Asif was elected to parliament from Sialkot in 2022.

Before taking over as defence minister in April 2022, he held several portfolios for over 30 years: Water and Power (2013–2017), Defence (2013–2017), Foreign Affairs, Petroleum and Natural Resources (2008), and Sports (2008).